K'taka CM to face floor test on Oct 18

The Janata Dal-Secular, which late Friday evening refused to transfer power to the BJP in Karnataka, has said that it will take the floor test on October 18.

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said that the special legislative assembly session will be held on October 18 and he would take the floor test on that day.

As of now, it seems highly unlikely that Kumaraswamy will pass the floor test as the BJP has decided to pull out. However, things may be different if the Congress steps in by then and supports the JDS from outside.

Support from the BJP is completely ruled out at this stage as the party will not give in to anything less than the chief minister's post.

Sources say that if Kumaraswamy fails the floor test, he will have to submit his resignation to state Governor Rameshwar Thakur. The Governor may then ask him to continue as care-taker

chief minister until the date of elections is announced.

The JDS hopes that both the state and the Lok Sabha elections are held at the same time. The JDS feels that the CPI-M will pull down the UPA government in the Centre by November and the nation may go in for polls by January.

In this entire political game, it is a win-win situation for the JDS.

The JDS, after its impressive performance in the urban local body polls, did the swing regarding the transfer of power. Sources close to Gowda say he was always weary of handing over power to the BJP, as he felt that a faction of the saffron party was trying to cause damage to his party's image.

However, Gowda was in two minds until the local body poll results were announced. In the present circumstances, Gowda will not mind even if the government is pulled down.